Elwyn Maloy

Elwyn Orval Maloy was born on January 16, 1940, to Orval Maloy and Lillian Macumber Maloy in Manilla (Crawford County), Iowa.  Following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer, he was called Home to his Lord Jesus on Friday, October 22, 2021.

 Elwyn was raised on a small farm, milked cows, drove a tractor at the age of 7, trapped and hunted, and learned various building skills.

Elwyn attended country school through 8^th grade, graduated from Manilla High School, received his BA in 1962 from Buena Vista College in sciences and physical education and earned his MA in 1967 from Michigan State University.   While attending Buena Vista College, Elwyn excelled as a fullback on the BVC football team.  He taught sciences and coached football, wrestling, and track in Iowa for 36 years (4 years at Lake City High School and 32 years at the Linn-Mar School District in Marion).   Elwyn was loved and honored by his peers, students and athletes and received many teaching and coaching awards.  He would comment that his greatest joy was to teach and coach his children and grandchildren.

Elwyn was very creative and gifted in wood working.  As a child, he made his own toys, as an adult, he would remodel and build houses in the summer, and dreamed of building his own home.   His latest woodworking venture was intarsia art.

Elwyn married his childhood sweetheart and love of his life, Carol Jean Nielsen, on June 3, 1961, in the First Presbyterian Church in Manilla, Iowa.   They recently celebrated their 60^th wedding anniversary.  Four beautiful children were born from this union.  Elwyn loved and enjoyed his family.  He was a wonderful husband and father.  His children would describe him as a fantastic and amazing man who could do anything and was a constant source for all of life’s questions.  He spent much time playing with his children, teaching them about nature, building things with them and for them, and was always supportive with much love, advice and guidance throughout their lives.  Many fun vacations included camping, fishing and traveling adventures.   

After retiring from teaching in 1999, Elwyn and Carol moved to Sheridan, WY, where they built their retirement home.  Elwyn worked at Landon’s Greenhouse, worked part-time for Wyoming Game and Fish, enjoyed hunting elk, deer, antelope, bear, etc.  Elwyn and Carol enjoyed watching grandchildren play sports, traveling, camping, fishing in Alaska, being with friends, and especially having morning coffee on the patio under the pergola that Elwyn built.

Elwyn loved his Lord Jesus, reading the Bible and spending time in prayer.   He was most certainly a man of God, a beautiful example to his family and a light of Christ for so many.  Most recently he used his God-given gift of wood working to help repair, remodel, and build cabins at Camp Story (the Presbyterian Church Camp in Story, WY).  

Elwyn was preceded in death by his parents Orval and Lillian Maloy, sisters Norma Wiese, Laura Derner, and Opal Holdsworth.  

He is survived by his loving wife Carol, children Kayla (David) Negrete, Grimes, IA, Kristi (Dale) Hall, Smithville, TX, Jill (Lucky) Cameron, Sheridan, and Jason (Heather) Maloy, Austin, TX; grandchildren Brennan (Sydney) Negrete, Brock (Olivia) Negrete, Austin (Kelcie) Hall, Reece Hall, Ethan (Johnna) Hall, Maria Hall, Olivia Hall, Sophia Hall, Alexandra Cameron, Fisher Maloy, Holden Maloy and Georgia Maloy; great-grandchildren Jack Hall and Luca Negrete; and by many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, November 13, 2021, at the First Presbyterian Church in Sheridan with the Rev. Dale Nielsen (brother-in-law of Elwyn) of Bartlesville, OK, and the Rev. Karl Heimbuck officiating. Livestream will be available through the website at sheridanfpc.church. A luncheon will follow the service in the Fellowship Hall.  Interment will be in the Nishnabotna Cemetery in Manilla, IA, at a later date.

Because of Elwyn’s love of the out-of-doors and his desire to have children come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, memorial gifts may be given in his name to: Camp Story, c/o First Presbyterian Church, 2121 Colonial Dr., Sheridan, WY  82801.  Online condolences may be made at www.sheridanfuneral.com.  Arrangements are under the care of Sheridan Funeral Home.